"They are going to have a lot to do to work on their friendship in the beginning of the year," Julie teased about Season 6’s Steroline. "We'll see if that goes anywhere." Yikes! We’re still not sure how we feel about these two potentially turning from platonic to romantic, but we love that they usually count on one another more than anyone else. It sounds like that may have changed in the time between seasons. What is the possible explanation for the distance?

Well, it’s no secret that Stefan will have had a hard time dealing with the apparent death of his big brother, Damon. Julie said of both Stefan and Elena’s grief in Season 6: "It's surprising, only in that it's not instantly what you'd expect. They're both grieving, but they're both coping with their grief in very specific and not necessarily conventional ways." She added that Stefan’s way of coping is "particularly … surprising" — including a surprising source of comfort.

As for Caroline’s mindset in Season 6, Julie also called it surprising. She told TV Guide: “Caroline is probably someone who will surprise you. She's taken this loss — in a weird way almost the hardest — so she's going to have to bounce back in her Caroline way. Who she bounces back with and how she does it and how she's living her life is revealed in the first episode.”

It sounds like Caroline and Stefan have been split apart by the tragedies of Damon and Bonnie’s apparent deaths. Will they be able to find their way back to one another — as friends or something more?

Kayti Burt is a contributing writer for Wetpaint Entertainment with a penchant for all things pop culture. Follow her on Twitter and Google+!